April 2007 Forecast

By Michael Bentley

April 6, 2007

Bentley didn't pick this, but we don't care. We love the picture.

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Opening weekend: $19 million.

4) Vacancy

Vacancy is a suspense-thriller starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson as a couple who check into a seedy motel. But things are much worse than just a dirty bathroom, a smelly bed or a television that doesn't work. They find a collection of old videotapes and decide to pop one in, but are shocked when the video turns out to be a violent snuff film. Even worse, it appears to have been filmed in the very room that they are currently in. And they find a hidden camera. Right now, the Bates Motel is sounding rather appealing.

The premise is certainly appealing, as I suspect it will be for a number of people who are looking for a good scare. However, the director is a "Nimrod". Will he screw it up?

Opening weekend: $18 million.

5) Disturbia

Well, first, about ten years ago, we had the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's unquestionable classic Rear Window (starring Christopher Reeve in Jimmy Stewart's role). Now we are reduced to a remake in disguise, under a different name with an ever-so-slightly different plot. Shia LeBeouf stars as a young man under house arrest. Bored, he becomes a sort of voyeur, looking out his window into his neighbor's lives. And one of them may be a serial killer. The suspense might be enough to lure in younger people who aren't familiar with Hitch's work, but this will likely be out of theaters pretty quickly. Preorder your DVD now!

Opening weekend: $14 million.

6) Perfect Stranger

It's been 14 years since his show went off the air, and now Bronson Pinchot is back by himself as a Perfect Stranger. Gone is his bland cousin Larry Appleton (sorry Mark Linn-Baker) and now crazy Greek sheepherder Balki Bartokomous walks the planet in search of attaining nirvana.

No, not really. But you're lying if you didn't think of Balki when you first read the title to Perfect Stranger from director James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross; The Chamber)! In actuality, the story is about a journalist (Oscar winner Halle Berry) who goes undercover to track down a businessman (Bruce Willis) and finger him as the killer of her friend. The dramatic thriller soon becomes a nice game of cat and mouse. And it will also be a nice test of the current box office drawing power of both Berry and Willis (his recent films such as 16 Blocks and Hostage have been complete duds).




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Opening weekend: $13 million.

7) The Reaping

Early reviews haven't been kind to this thriller starring Hilary Swank as an expert at disproving strange religious phenomena. But her "faith" is shaken when she visits a town that appears to be suffering from the Biblical plagues. Opening Easter weekend, The Reaping might manage to pull in some families looking for some escapist entertainment.

Opening weekend: $12 million.

8) Fracture


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